Disposable toothbrush cover

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for the entire toothbrush that is disposable. It is convenient, simple, compact, and promotes good oral hygiene. The cover is made from a polyethylene bag that is slightly longer than the toothbrush and slightly wider than the bristle portion. The entire toothbrush slides into the bag and can be sealed for protection. The cover has holes for ventilation. The cover is inexpensive to produce and used just once before disposing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The title of this invention is disposable toothbrush cover. Thisapplication is related to the provisional patent application that wasfiled on Jan. 18, 2002. The application number for the provisionalpatent application is 60/349,631. The same individual filed bothapplications.

STATEMENT REGARDING FED SPONSORED R & D

[0002] Not applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGAPPENDIX

[0003] Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] A disposable toothbrush cover can be used when traveling,working, camping, or anytime one needs to store a toothbrush. For healthreasons, it is important to have the toothbrush protected when it is intransit or used outside the home.

[0005] Current toothbrush covers available are bulky and do not promotegood oral hygiene care. There are basically two options currentlyavailable: hard plastic covers that contain the entire toothbrush andhard plastic covers that cover only the bristle portion of the brush.These covers are not routinely cleaned by individuals and can even bedifficult to clean. Continued use of these products without propercleaning can lead to illness.

[0006] A family of six (2 parents and 4 children) traveling would needsix separate hard plastic covers for their set of toothbrushes. Forhygiene purposes, it would be important that each family member continueto use the same hard plastic cover on their toothbrush for the durationof the trip. Interchanging covers could promote the transfer of germsand bacteria. Yet, it is difficult to avoid as so many of these hardplastic covers look alike. These covers are also more complex and moreexpensive to produce.

[0007] Some individuals travel with their toothbrush in a large gallonsize food storage bag. This is very wasteful and provides no ventilationfor the toothbrush.

[0008] Expired U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,142 developed a disposable cover thatprotects just the bristle portion of the brush. It recommended disposalafter a usage period of up to ten days. Ten days of usage with adisposable cover could lead to a build-up of bacteria and would notpromote good oral care.

[0009] There are many instances when one must pack a toothbrush wetright after use. This is an additional downside to a cover that justcovers the bristle portion of a toothbrush. For example, when anout-of-town business man brushes his teeth right before attending ameeting and then plans to travel home, his toothbrush is still wet whenhe needs to store it. Placing a toothbrush in a cover that just protectsthe bristle can lead to dripping excess water, toothpaste, or salivafrom the brush onto any article that it is near.

[0010] The general downside to these above mentioned covers are cost,bulkiness, wastefulness, and minimal protection. Most importantly, thesecovers can lead to poor oral hygiene and illness.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Disposable toothbrush covers are thin plastic covers. Theyenclose and protect a toothbrush. The covers are slightly longer thanthe toothbrush and slightly wider than the bristle head. One end of thecover has an opening for the toothbrush to slide inside. The toothbrushslides in to the open end of the cover and can then be sealed. The endof the cover can be closed with a rib and groove, resealable, closure.They are disposable on a daily basis.

[0012] There are small openings in the covers for ventilation. Thecovers are to be used just once and then discarded. The covers providebetter oral hygiene. The majority of toothbrushes would fit into thestandard 2″×8″ cover, although it is simple to enlarge the cover inproduction to provide for a variety of toothbrush sizes.

[0013] The present invention has many advantages:

[0014] (1) better oral hygiene

[0015] (2) inexpensive to produce

[0016] (3) simple to use

[0017] (4) high speed production

[0018] (5) completely encloses the toothbrush

[0019] (6) provides a cover for the toothbrush that is disposable

[0020] (7) reduction in the spread of germs with proper use

[0021] (8) compact

[0022] (9) provides for better protection for items that are stored withor around the enclosed toothbrush

[0023] Especially useful for frequent travelers, the invention is animproved disposable toothbrush cover that offers great benefits in theoral hygiene area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0024] The drawing shows the disposable toothbrush cover with atoothbrush inside.

[0025] A is the rib and groove resealable closure which is shown sealed

[0026] B is a ventilation hole

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The drawing shows a disposable toothbrush cover protecting atoothbrush. The cover is made from a resealable, 0.002 mil, low density,polyethylene bag that is 2 inches × 8 inches. Small round holes placedthrough the bag provide ventilation for the cover. Additionalventilation holes can be added if necessary. The ventilation holes canalso be placed at different areas on the cover.

[0028] The majority of toothbrushes currently on the market would fitinto the 2″×8″ cover. Although, changing the production to increase thesize or the thickness of the cover to accommodate larger brushes wouldbe simple. The cover protects the entire toothbrush and can alsoaccommodate printing/advertising on the bag if desired.

[0029] To use the cover, one places a toothbrush inside the cover andseals it closed with the rib and groove closure. Removing the toothbrushis simple. To open, pull apart the rib and groove feature. Remove thetoothbrush and discard the disposable cover.

[0030] The closure feature recommended for the cover is the rib andgroove closure because it is simple, commonly used and resealable.Although, simply folding the end of the cover may provide enoughprotection or possibly an adhesive strip for the closure. Having thedisposable covers packaged into a small dispenser that would dispenseone cover at a time would also be beneficial and would provideconvenience to the user.

I claim:
 1. a disposable protective cover for the toothbrush, comprisinga thin polyethylene bag with ventilation holes which is slightly longerthan the toothbrush and slightly wider than the bristle portion, whichcompletely encloses the entire toothbrush, can be sealed, and disposedof after each use.